A level

B,B,B-A,B,B

Typical offer: ABB or BBB including Politics (minimum grade B)
If you are taking an EPQ in addition to 3 A levels, you will receive the following offer in addition to the standard A-level offer: BBB to include grade A in the EPQ
Contextual offer: BBB
We are committed to ensuring that all students with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise a student’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience.
Offers typically exclude General Studies and Critical Thinking.
Please note, General Studies and Critical Thinking are not accepted for this course.
The University of Southampton values the Extended Project Qualification. Applicants taking the EPQ in addition to three A Levels may also be made an alternative offer one grade below the standard offer, conditional on an A grade in the EPQ.

Access to HE Diploma

D:30,M:15

Typical offer: 60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at Level 3, of which 30 must be at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal

D3,M2,M2

Typical offer: D3 M2 M2 in three Principal subject
Cambridge Pre-U's can be used in combination with other qualifications such as A Levels to achieve the equivalent of the typical offer

Extended Project

A

The University of Southampton values the Extended Project Qualification. Applicants taking the EPQ in addition to three A levels, may also be made an alternative offer one grade below the standard offer, conditional on an A grade in the EPQ. For more information on the University of Southampton’s EPQ Admissions Policy, please see our EPQ Admissions Policy webpage.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32

Typical offer: Pass, with 32 points overall with 16 points at Higher Level
International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (IBCP):
Offers will be made on the individual Diploma Course subject(s) and the career-related study qualification. The CP core will not form part of the offer. Where there is a subject pre-requisite(s), applicants will be required to study the subject(s) at Higher Level in the Diploma course subject and/or take a specified unit in the career-related study qualification. Applicants may also be asked to achieve a specific grade in those elements.
Please see the University of Southampton International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme (IBCP) Statement for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.

Pearson BTEC Subsidiary Diploma (QCF)

D

D in the BTEC Subsidiary Diploma plus AB from two A levels

Offers will be based on exams being taken at the end of S6. Subjects taken and qualifications achieved in S5 will be reviewed. Careful consideration will be given to an individual’s academic achievement, taking in to account the context and circumstances of their pre-university education. Please see the University of Southampton’s Curriculum for Excellence Scotland Statement for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.
Please see the University of Southampton’s Curriculum for Excellence Scotland Statement for further information. Applicants are advised to contact the Faculty of Social, Human and Mathematical Sciences Admissions Office at [email protected] for more information.
Unless a more advanced level (Higher or Advanced Higher) is specified in the stated entry requirements, all applicants will be required to have achieved a pass in Mathematics and English at Standard Grade, Grade 3 or National 5, Grade C, the equivalent of GCSE Grade C/ Grade 4

Offers will be based on exams being taken at the end of S6. Subjects taken and qualifications achieved in S5 will be reviewed. Careful consideration will be given to an individual’s academic achievement, taking in to account the context and circumstances of their pre-university education. Please see the University of Southampton’s Curriculum for Excellence Scotland Statement for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.
Please see the University of Southampton’s Curriculum for Excellence Scotland Statement for further information. Applicants are advised to contact the Faculty of Social, Human and Mathematical Sciences Admissions Office at [email protected] for more information.

Typical offer: AB from two A levels and B from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate
Alternative offer: BB from two A levels and B from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate

UCAS Tariff

120-128

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course

Source: UCAS

Course option

3.0years

Full-time | 2020

Subject

International relations

Is the world entering a new period of conflict and instability? How do nations interact with one another, and for what purposes? A BSc in International Relations from the University of Southampton can help further your understanding of international and global politics.

This BSc degree examines international political systems, international political theory, and trajectories and developments in contemporary global politics, and helps you to develop crucial skills in analytical and critical thinking, as well as highly valued independent research skills. This BSc degree can help lead to careers in national and international political institutions, think tank and advocacy organisations, the civil service, and journalism.

Modules

We teach a range of core modules common to all politics and international relations degrees in the first year, in order to embed the necessary knowledge foundations for the rest of your programme.

In year two there are compulsory and optional modules, while in year three there are option modules only. The Research Methods module taught in year two provides guidance on writing a dissertation, which you will undertake in year three.

Students pick optional modules from a range (see our website for details). In addition to this, our Curriculum Innovation Programme offers the chance to take optional modules outside your core disciplines. This allows you to personalise your education, to develop new skills and knowledge for your future.

Assessment methods

Modules are examined through a combination of examinations and coursework, and the specific arrangements vary according to module. Final degree classifications are based on marks from the second and third years.

What students say

We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

75%

low

International relations

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Student voice

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

Government & Politics

B

History

B

English Literature

B

After graduation

Source: DHLE and HECSU

The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Politics

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£23,000

high

Average annual salary

98%

high

Employed or in further education

92%

med

Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

12%

Other elementary services occupations

11%

Public services and other associate professionals

8%

Business, research and administrative professionals

The numbers of people taking politics degrees fell sharply last year and we'll keep an eye on this one - it can't really be because of graduates getting poor outcomes as politics grads do about as well as graduates on average. Most politics or international relations graduates don't actually go into politics - although many do, as activists, fundraisers and researchers. Jobs in local and central government are also important. Other popular jobs include marketing and PR, youth and community work, finance roles, HR and academic research (you usually need a postgraduate degree to get into research). Because so many graduates get jobs in the civil service, a lot of graduates find themselves in London after graduating. Politics is a very popular postgraduate subject, and so about one in five politics graduates go on to take another course - usually a one-year Masters - after they finish their degrees.

What about your long term prospects?

Source: LEO

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

International relations

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£20k

£20k

First year

£23k

£23k

Third year

£26k

£26k

Fifth year

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

We calculate a mean rating of all responses to indicate whether this is high, medium or low compared to the same subject area at other universities.

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?